


wherever i go, you bring me home

by rosesareredvioletsareblue



Category: The Dark Artifices Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare, The Wicked Powers Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Family Bonding, Lowercase, Marriage Proposal, Post-Book 3: Queen of Air and Darkness, Spoilers for Book 3: Queen of Air and Darkness, Spoilers for Book Series: The Infernal Devices, i just really love kit herondale, i need twp now please cc, kit's a disaster and i'm here for it, why isn't it 2023 yet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:34:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25675177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosesareredvioletsareblue/pseuds/rosesareredvioletsareblue
Summary: kit wants to propose ty.more than anything in the world, he wants to look at the love of his life and think “that’s my husband.”but apparently, the demon that ran away with the (very expensive) ring has other plans.maybe, kit thought, dripping sweat and ichor while chasing the dickwad of a demon that stole the key to his future, demons are homophobic.one thing’s for certain: kit is going to propose to ty, whether raziel likes it or not.(or: kit wants to propose to ty. the universe, unfortunately, can’t seem to give him a fucking break.)
Relationships: Drusilla Blackthorn & Kit Rook, Emma Carstairs & Kit Rook, Jem Carstairs & Kit Rook, Jem Carstairs/Tessa Gray, Julian Blackthorn & Kit Rook, Julian Blackthorn/Emma Carstairs, Kit Rook/The Blackthorns, Mina Carstairs & Kit Rook, Tessa Gray & Kit Rook, Tiberius Blackthorn/Kit Rook
Comments: 6
Kudos: 95





	wherever i go, you bring me home

**Author's Note:**

> i would like to publicly announce that it’s missing kit herondale hours.
> 
> do i know what this is? not at all. did i post it anyway? yep. honestly, i took like a three hour nap and dreamt this happened, went "holy shit", and wrote it so quickly. 
> 
> also, apparently it’s physically impossible for me to write a fic with capitals. oops.
> 
> title is from 'sweet creature', by harry styles
> 
> enjoy!
> 
> (i used google translate for translations, so if it’s sus, that’s why.)

* * *

kit was nervous. 

no, wait. scratch that.

kit was fucking _terrified._

_“why?”_ _mina had asked him before he left for la, her four year old wisdom hitting the nail right on the head._ _they were on the couch, talking while mina braided kit's hair. it was their weekly tradition._ “ _it’s not like he’s going to say no.”_

_"but he might." kit replied, wincing as she tugged particularly hard on a strand of hair._

_mina laughed. "don't be silly. ty loves you." she paused, her face scrunched up thoughtfully. "he doesn't love you as much as i love you though. i love you-" she hopped off the couch and into kit's lap, stretching her little arms out as far as they would go. "this much!" kit gasped._

_"really?" he asked. "because i love you-" he stretched out his own arms, longer and ganglier than his sister's, "this much!"_

_mina smiled, wrapping her arms around kit's neck. "if you love me that much, can we go get cookies?"_

_kit shrugged. "i don't see why not."_

_they got cookies and planned kit's wedding, kit hoping ty would say yes so he could get mina the cookie cake she won't stop asking for._

logically, kit knew that ty was going to say yes. he wasn't scared of that, although the thought of proposing to ty was nerve-wrecking, kit wanted nothing more than to look at the love of his life and think, _'that's my husband'._

it was ty’s _family_ that kit was terrified of.

the only member of ty’s family that he had managed to tell about his plans was emma the day after he arrived in the institute, who promptly threatened to disembowel him if he ever hurt ty before hugging him until he couldn’t breathe and crying for like an hour. 

kit decided, walking up the stairs to ty’s room, that that could have gone worse. emma could have decapitated him that instant.

he was staying in la over the summer, since he missed the salty breeze on his face and the general hustle and bustle of los angeles swirling around him. 

but most of all, he missed the blackthorns. 

one blackthorn in particular. 

the second he stepped out of the portal and saw ty, everything suddenly made perfect sense. with a jolt, kit discovered that the feeling blossoming in his chest was relief, like he was returning home. 

it wasn’t until he was bundled in his boyfriend’s arms two seconds later that he realized that _home_ wasn’t the institute. _home_ wasn’t even in devon. _home_ was wherever ty was.

in the two days since, he and ty had been glued to each other, taking in each other’s company. kit’s room had been given to irene, a fact kit had been annoyed about for a millisecond before he realized that he was going to share a room with ty. 

julian was less enthused, but kit was _sure_ the box of condoms slipped into kit’s duffel bag was from him. 

mostly because the note stuck to it read ‘ _give my brother an std and i’ll light you on fire’._ with a tiny heart next to it.

julian was scary sometimes. 

ty took the note from his shaking hands and laughed before crushing kit’s mouth with his own. 

the note was instantly forgotten. the condoms were not. 

* * *

kit woke up early, a sudden and unexpected burst of confidence blooming in his chest. today, he decided, was the day.

he was going to ask ty to marry him today.

yawning, he reached over for the ring he kept hidden in a dvd box for _sherlock_.

_“really?” ty asked, picking up the case and glaring daggers at it. he looked up at kit, brows raised in confusion. “kit, the books are so much better.”_

_kit tried his best not to panic. he failed._

benedict cumberbatch was staring up at him, encased in plastic and looking incredibly unamused as kit pulled the slim ring from the plastic case and slipped it into a small blue velvet box with incredible care. he snapped the lid shut and pressed a kiss onto the soft fabric before shoving the box that held his future unceremoniously under his pillow. then, he turned to look at ty. 

happiness fluttered in the bottom of his stomach as he stared at his boyfriend, stoic and serious in his sleep. kit sighed contentedly, listening to the comforting sound of ty’s breathing, a song written by the angels themselves. in his sleep, ty shifted closer to kit, grasping blindly for him and murmuring something about inconsistencies. 

kit’s heart _melted_ as he let ty hold him, pressing his back into ty’s front so they aligned perfectly, like two pieces of a puzzle. two peas in a pod. 

he sighed to himself. _vegetables._ he thought. _how romantic._

“were you watching _sherlock_?” ty mumbled, pressing his face into the crook of kit’s neck.

“you or the show?” kit replied with a soft laugh, trying not to totally dissolve into goo as ty’s warm lips met kit’s jaw. 

“the show, kit.” ty replied. kit could practically hear his boyfriend’s eyes roll. “i don’t mind you watching _me._ ” 

“you can’t tell me you don’t think benedict cumberbatch is hot.” kit retorted, pulling his hand up to lace his fingers through ty’s.

“not as hot as you.” ty answered, with such heart wrenching simplicity that made kit want to cry. 

“i love you.” kit smiled, feeling lighter than a feather. he turned his head to face ty. 

ty’s grey eyes lit up like fireworks as he whispered, “i love you too.” 

“good.” kit replied, pressing a quick kiss to ty’s knuckles. “cause it’s my turn to pick the movie we watch for movie night tomorrow.” 

ty groaned, dropping back against his pillow.

* * *

“you,” dru declared, after watching kit trip over irene and down the stairs, “are a professional idiot.” 

he missed dru insulting him while he was at devon. he missed a lot of things about la, although he realized with a little help from tessa that most of those things were directly related to missing ty.

kit patted the pocket of his jacket containing the ring box, huffing a relieved sight when his fingers met the stiff lump of the box. “good morning to you too, drusilla.” 

irene looked up sleepily at kit’s voice, looking for ty. when she only found kit, and the giant bruise instantly forming on his leg, she scrunched her face up disappointedly. 

kit was also a little disappointed that ty wasn’t there, but ty sent kit down to breakfast without him, muttering that he ‘had to find something.’ 

he was almost ninety-nine percent sure that ‘something’ was the _sherlock_ dvd case, which kit hid under the bed after shoving the ring into his pocket. the thought of it made him want to double check that it was in his pocket again. he smiled, running two fingers across the soft velvet.

dru was glaring at him, clearly annoyed. “so?” 

kit feigned confusion as her eyes moved from his face to the lump he was desperately covering with his hand. “what?” 

“when are you going to ask?” dru was smiling wildly, her entire face lighting up. kit, on the other hand, felt like dru had stabbed him in the face repeatedly with a blunt seraph blade. 

“i-what?”

dru raised a brow, crossing her arms over her chest. “you keep touching the ring box in your pocket. you’re not exactly subtle.” 

kit didn’t really know how to respond to that. “i don’t have a ring box in my pocket.” 

“can i see it?” dru asked, glancing around for any sign of her family. “jules and emma are still asleep, and tavvy just went back to his room. please?” 

with a sigh, kit pulled the box out, opening it in one, fluid motion. dru let out a short gasp, leaning in closer to get a better look. she looked up at kit, silver lining her blackthorn blue eyes. 

“it’s beautiful.” she whispered, running her finger along the edge of the box. kit smiled. 

“yeah.” he said. “it is.” the simple silver band gleamed up at them, etched with a heron sitting on top of the letter ‘o’, and three simple words surrounded by a chain of thorns. 

_i love you._

it couldn’t get truer than that. 

“who knows?” dru asked, as kit shut the box and slipped it back into his pocket. 

“my parents,” kit replied, “mina, you, and emma so far.” 

“emma?” dru raised a brow. 

“it was accidental.” kit answered, as he started walking to the kitchen. dru followed him.

“can i help you plan? when were you thinking of having the wedding? how are you going to tell everyone else?” dru threw questions at him the entire two minute walk. 

“dru, i’m not that far yet.” kit said as they reached the kitchen, where emma was already sitting cross-legged on the table. waving good morning to her, kit grabbed a glass and started to fill it with water.

“you should know these things before you propose.” dru shot back. emma nodded her agreement, taking a bite of an apple. 

“he hasn’t said yes yet.” kit pointed out, shutting off the tap. 

emma snorted. “he’s not going to say _no_.” 

dru pointed to emma as she sat down at the table, emphasizing her agreement. kit groaned, sitting down at the table. 

“can i see the ring?” emma asked, leaning forward so that she was hovering over his head. kit pulled out the box and handed it to her, throwing a quick glance over his shoulder for ty. 

“oh!” she gasped, pressing a hand to her heart. “oh my god, kit. he’s going to love it.” 

“i hope so.” kit replied, putting the box back into his pocket. “it was very expensive.” 

“yesterday you walked in holding thousands of shopping bags and said ‘it smells like broke in here.” dru snorted.

“it was three shopping bags. _three._ and most of the stuff in them were presents for ty.” kit argued. “and i bought mina this lego hollywood sign, cause she’s really into legos now. i got jem a watch too, because mina broke his.” 

“how?” dru asked, raising a brow. “she’s four.”

“she tried to clean it by dropping it in the bathtub and washing it with shampoo.” dru made a face, like she was experiencing a cuteness overdose. kit knew what they were like, since mina was probably the most adorable kid on the planet. 

“what did you get ty?” emma asked with a smirk. “a t-shirt that says ‘kit herondale simps for me?’” 

“call me a simp _one_ more time, emma carstairs.” kit replied. “i dare you.” 

“what are you daring emma to do?” ty asked, picking the perfect time to walk into the room. 

“nothing,” dru said with an added glare at kit. “because emma isn’t allowed to accept dares.” 

“according to julian,” emma said, chin raised, “i have ‘no regard for my own personal wellbeing.’ which is absolutely not true.” 

kit raised a brow. “yesterday you almost sliced your leg in half because you tried to cut a pizza pie with cortana.” 

“she cut the pizza, didn’t she?” emma shot back, smirking triumphantly. “and it was nothing a few _iratzes_ couldn’t fix.” 

ty laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling up in a way that made kit feel warm and fuzzy. he wrapped his arms around kit from behind, bending his head down so it fit in the crook of kit’s neck. 

it took all of kit’s willpower not to melt into goo right then and there. emma saw the look etched into his face and mouthed ‘ _simp’,_ but she was smiling broadly, happy tears lining her brown eyes. 

* * *

“would jules be mad if we bought out the store's entire stock of oreos?” kit asked, gazing longingly at the familiar blue packages lining the shelf, taunting him. tessa stopped buying oreos because she was concerned about kit crying over two packages a night the first year he had lived in devon. she had replaced them with carrots, and made sure that he had at least three bottles of water with him when he went to bed. if she didn’t fall asleep immediately, tessa would hold him as he cried, the mother he never thought he’d be good enough to deserve. 

“yeah,” dru rolled her eyes, grabbing kit by the elbow and dragging him out of the snack aisle, “he’d be a little pissed if we spent the entire grocery budget on cookies.” 

“tragic.” kit replied, shaking her off and slipping three packages into the shopping cart. dru raised a brow. kit sighed and put one back. 

julian had sent dru, kit, and ty to the store after breakfast, shoving a credit card with strict instructions not to go over three hundred dollars and an incredibly long grocery list into their hands before pushing them out the door with a huff of finality. 

which was kind of annoying, since kit had something _incredibly_ important to ask julian, and he couldn’t if jules was kicking the three of them out of the institute for an hour just so he could make out with emma. 

it wasn’t really asking, per say. the speech kit planned had more of a ‘ _i_ _’m going to ask your brother to marry me and i hope to god he says yes, but i’m not asking for your permission because he’s his own person and also please don’t kill me_.” vibe to it.

he and jem spent hours working on it, with jem's draft being beautifully eloquent, almost as if the words he wrote down were spoken by raziel himself. kit’s, on the other hand, was teetering the line between ‘mediocre’ and ‘barely comprehensible'. they had to compromise when tessa came into the room and told kit to ‘speak from the heart.’

_“speak from the heart?” kit asked, blinking up at her. “i tried that before. it didn’t really work out.”_

_“it’s just takes practice.” jem said, squeezing kit’s hand supportively._

_“easy for you to say.” kit shot back. “you’re like shakespeare, but hotter.”_

_“oh my god.” jem buried his face in his hands._

_“in the words of our good friend lily,” kit smirked, “you’ve got quite a way with words, brother break-my-back-like-a-glow-stick-ariah.” jem sighed, the sound a testament to the years he spent putting up with herondale bullshit._

_tessa laughed, the sound bright. she always laughed at lily’s nicknames for jem. “try again.” she suggested. “all this arguing is going to wake up mina, and it took me three hours to get her to bed.”_

_she leaned down to kiss kit on the forehead. “i love you so much,” she murmured, “but if you wake your sister up, you’re going to have to put her to sleep.”_

_that settled that pretty quickly. kit was done within two minutes, tossing the paper to jem before drawing a soundless rune on his arm. jem laughed and ruffled his hair affectionately._

_“_ _wǒ ài nǐ wǒ de érzi."_ _jem said, tearing up as he looked at the paper._

_"what does that mean?" kit asked, raising a brow. jem smiled, brightening up the room._

_pressing a kiss to kit's forehead, he answered, "i love you, my son."_

kit ran his thumb over the lump in his pocket, lost in thought. 

“hello?” dru said, snapping her fingers in front of his face. “earth to kit?” 

“what?” kit asked, snapping back to reality. 

dru smiled. “it’s cute that you love ty so much, but it’s also incredibly annoying to do shit with you while you’re thinking about ty.” 

“maybe i’m not thinking about ty.” kit argued, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. 

“you’re _always_ thinking about ty.” dru retorted, smirking victoriously. “and you keep rubbing the box in your pocket. do you think no one’s going to notice?”

“for your information, drusilla,” kit shot back, ignoring her question, “i was thinking about jem and tessa.” 

dru raised a brow. “fine.” kit admitted. “i was thinking about how i was going to tell julian.” 

his friend opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off by a terrified scream coming from the vegetable aisle.

kit and dru shared a panicked glance. _ty._

blindly tossing dru a dagger he took from his boot, kit drew out a second one and sprinted in the direction of the screams. while he was running, he pulled a _stele_ out of his pocket with his free hand and quickly drew a sure-striking rune on his opposite arm. he followed that one with an agility and a swift-footed rune, panting slightly as he did it. 

the runes tingled as they settled into his skin, a prickly, warm sensation kit wasn’t sure he’d ever really get used too. sending up a silent prayer that he wasn’t too late, kit found the source of the screams. it was a mundane woman, her back pressed against the fruit display, shaking like a leaf and screaming her head off. 

kit was inclined to agree with her, since the demon cornering her was a particularly terrifying one. it looked more like a dragon than a demon. its gaping maw was hanging open, revealing rows of rotted, very sharp teeth, an inch and a half from her face. its breath sizzled in the air. 

suddenly, kit was very glad he was him, and not this mundane, since he _really_ didn’t feel like having a dragon shove it's stinky breath in his face. 

“hey!” a voice yelled from across the aisle. a sinking feeling rose in kit’s chest. looking over, he saw ty, standing firmly between the prepackaged salads and the onions, his grey eyes as sharp and unyielding as the blade he was carrying. 

_my brave ty. please be safe._

the demon turned and kit cursed under his breath. seeing the opportunity ty provided, kit grabbed the mundane lady by the hand and dragged her away from the demon, her screams turning into shivering sobs. 

he dropped her by the milk, taking a quick glance around to make sure there aren’t anymore dragons lurking in the dairy aisle itching to bite her head off. reassured that this spot was safe, kit ran back to ty. 

a throwing knife zoomed past his face in a flash of light. he moved just in time to head the sharp, metallic _zing_ of it flying through the air. dru cursed sharply. 

“sorry!” she yelled to kit, not taking her focus off the demon. kit didn’t respond, not wanting to distract her. the dragon lunged, it’s skin flapping in the sudden wind it created as it moved towards ty. kit panicked. 

“hey, you piece of shit!” kit yelled, squeezing the dagger in his hand. the demon turned, confused. ty had the gall to look almost annoyed. kit wanted to kiss the frown off his face, but he didn’t think the demon was going to pause it’s chaos just so he could make out with his boyfriend.

“yeah, you!” he continued, touching the ring box hidden in his jacket pocket for good luck. he started jumping up and down, drawing the dragon’s attention to him. “you dick! fake dragon! you probably can’t even breathe fire!” 

the dragon demon decided to prove him wrong. fire erupted from its mouth, scorching all the produce in its wake. 

kit didn’t really like vegetables, but the sight of them all shriveled and burnt made him feel guilty.

his thoughts went back to this morning, when he compared himself and ty to two peas in a pod. he shivered, glad ty was out of the line of fire.

nerves skyrocketed in kit’s stomach as the demon moved toward him, faster than he had expected. muttering a few particularly creative expletives, kit rooted himself in a defensive position. 

the demon dragon clawed at him and kit jumped back, the sharp, curved, talons catching the side of his shirt and jacket, revealing large patches of kit’s skin in their wake. 

“asshole!” kit hissed, aggravation nestling itself into his voice. “that was expensive!” 

the dragon just swatted at him again, annoyed that kit wasn’t dead. kit lunged with his knife, aiming for the demon’s heart. the demon, being a total and complete prick, moved out of the way of the blade, effectively avoiding death. it started running through the store. 

kit was annoyed, to say the least. 

mentally preparing himself to run at _least_ a mile to kill the damned creature, kit felt for the ring box. 

he paused, his fingers meeting the skin of his side, rather than the familiar lump of the box. 

kit’s breath caught in his throat as he dropped to his hands and knees, frantic, looking around for the ring. 

he only found the box, the top shredded open, and a little dip near where the ring had sat. only a little dip, like the demon tore the velvet just a tad bit more as he was slipping the ring onto his disgusting claw. kit should’ve known. literally every story book in existence has a dragon hoarding shiny things.

kit raised his head to the sky and let out an incredibly impressive stream of curses. then, he chased after the demon. 

* * *

“what the hell is wrong with you?” dru asked, as the three of them sprinting down the street, following the screams coming from terrified people. 

“i didn’t mean to let him get away!” kit protested, panting heavily. his legs ached, begging for a break, but his heart was pounding with fear. he was searching the ground for every little glint of silver, in the vain hope that the dragon dropped the ring during his escape. out of the corner of his eye, he saw dru looking too.

if this demon ruined his plan to propose to ty, kit would go to edom and destroy every demon there. maybe he’d ask jace for tips. 

“you’re an idiot!” dru shouted back, as a fresh round of screams started anew. “a simping idiot!”

“don’t call me a simp!” kit hissed, a strange cocktail of adrenaline, exhaustion, and pure terror causing his temper to flair. 

“stop fighting!” ty said, cutting off the retort that dru instantly opened her mouth to shout. he looked mostly composed, only the faint sheen of sweat on his forehead giving away how exhausted he was. sprinting non stop for about five miles would do that to you. ty and dru, with their training from birth, looked like they did this everyday for fun. kit was sure he looked nothing like that. he was lucky his legs hadn’t totally collapsed under him by now. 

ty caught his arm, effectively pulling him to a stop. he was holding onto dru too, who was glaring daggers at kit from under her bangs. 

“fighting isn’t going to get us anywhere.” ty looked between them, his voice still steady and strong despite the run. “we need a plan.” 

“i have a plan.” kit said, his own voice breathy and weak. “find that demon and rip out it’s spinal cord.” 

“that’s not really a plan.” dru pointed out. “that’s more like a goal.” 

“okay then.” kit replied, while his lungs screamed at him for wasting precious oxygen by talking. “my _goal_ is to find that demon and rip out it’s spinal cord.” 

“stop threatening to rip out the demon’s spinal cord.” dru snapped. “it’s not helping.” 

“let's discuss what we know.” ty interrupted. “it’s a dragonidae, a dragon demon.” he noted, biting his lip thoughtfully. kit smiled softly. ty knew everything. 

fine. kit could admit that _maybe_ he was a little bit of a simp.

“we don’t know a lot about them.” dru offered. “except that they can breathe fire and hate vegetables.”

“they’re homophobic.” kit glared in the direction the dragon ran off in, his empty pocket feeling almost like a missing limb. 

ty gave him an odd look. “how are they-“

“they like to steal shiny things.” dru added quickly, glancing at kit. 

“it stole something?” ty asked, brow furrowed in confusion.

kit wanted to throw himself into the dragonidae’s stomach and hope he got digested. he and dru shared a glance. 

“kit’s watch.” dru said quickly. kit silently thanked her for being quick on her feet. it took all of his willpower not to hug her. “it was in his pocket when the dragon ripped it open.” ty nodded, still suspicious, but accepting the answer for now.

“okay.” kit said, mostly to himself. then, louder, he repeated, “okay. so let’s think like the dragon. we just stole something from an incredibly handsome and powerful young shadowhunter, and we ran off in-” he pointed to the way the dragon went, “that direction. what would we do?” 

“find someplace dark to hide the horde.” ty answered automatically, like he was reciting pages from a book. kit knew he probably was. 

“a cave?” kit suggested. fear, tight and uncomfortable, rose in his throat as he said softly, “the closest thing like that to here are the-“

“beach caves.” dru finished, horror growing on her face. “the ones by the institute.” 

the three of them shared a panicked glance before sprinting towards the institute beach.

* * *

it took them two minutes to get back to the institute, since it was close to the store and they were running at the speed of light.

kit thought his feet would be in shreds by the time they got back, but he was pleasantly surprised when they stopped at the mouth of the cave to see that they were still intact, albeit in an incredible amount of pain. 

“okay.” dru whispered, hearing the dragon shift around in the cave. “what do we do?” 

kit and ty shared a look. 

_do you have a plan?_ ty’s face asked, brow raised in question. the silent communication they built up over the years always filled kit with joy. kit shook his head. _not in the slightest._

“go in and stab it?” kit suggested with a shrug. they stood in silence, considering. 

“that’s barely a plan.” dru replied. “but it’s the only one we’ve got.” 

“we don't have that many weapons.” ty pointed out. “what if we miss?” 

“we just won’t miss.” kit said, heart pounding. the ring was close. he could feel it in his bones. or maybe that was just ty, his comforting presence drawing kit to him like a moth to a flame. 

“that’s not a real strategy.” ty’s nose was scrunched up in the adorable way it always did when kit had a bad idea. kit wanted to press a soft kiss on it, lighter than a butterfly’s wing. ty bit his lip, meeting kit’s gaze with his steely eyes as he reached out and gripped kit’s hand. 

kit wanted to press ty against the cave wall and kiss him until his lips fell off. 

“oh my god.” dru muttered, covering her eyes with her hand. “if you two don’t stop being horny and gross, _i’m_ going to be the homophobe, not the demon.” 

passionately kissing his boyfriend, kit decided, sparing a quick glance at ty’s mouth, was an adventure for later. 

preferably an adventure saved for once they were engaged, if kit got the ring back. 

using an absurd amount of willpower, kit pulled his hand out of ty’s and took the knife out of his boot, the hilt smooth under his palm. thinking of weddings and rings, kit took a deep breath, posed his body, and threw the knife into the cave. 

he heard a sharp clattering sound echo from the back of the cave, followed by a short huff of laughter. 

“told you they’d figure it out eventually.” a voice came from inside, feminine and lined with amusement.

“it only took them about forty-five minutes.” a different voice replied, deep and reassuring, but also sounding like it was hiding a laugh. 

kit sighed. “why are you two in there?” he asked, as dru and ty came around the corner to look. 

emma and julian walked out of the cave, hand in hand, covered in ichor. emma’s free hand held cortana, the golden blade dulled by the demon blood. julian was holding the dragon’s claw, severed from its body. a familiar glint of silver drew kit’s attention. 

_the ring._

kit tried not to panic. he failed. 

“we saw a dragonidae running across the beach,” emma said, with a smile promising mischief, “so we chased after it and killed it.”

while she was talking, julian leveled his gaze on kit, his blackthorn eyes narrowing as he glared. 

“we need to talk.” he growled, his voice icy and sharp. kit swallowed. 

“you sure?” kit squeaked, trying not to run into ty’s arms and hide from the withering glare julian was sending him. 

“oh,” jules smiled viciously, revealing his teeth. in the afternoon light, they looked almost like fangs. “i’m sure.” 

kit took a deep breath. he glanced quickly at ty, then back to julian. 

“okay.” he said, his voice surprisingly steady. “let’s talk.” 

* * *

julian led him to a small area of the beach silently, one hand on a seraph blade, while the other was clutching the demon’s claw. 

kit was in deep shit. he looked behind him, where ty and dru were waiting with emma. ty leaned back his head to laugh at something dru had said, his face crinkling up with happiness. 

“so.” julian said, drawing kit’s attention to him. “care to explain this?” he pulled the ring from the dragon’s claw and tossed the discarded body part into the ocean. kit hoped it wouldn’t poison the fish. 

kit took a deep breath. “i want to marry ty.” he met julian’s eyes and absorbed the stare julian was sending him. for ty, he’d put up with millions of terrifying glares. hell, he’d set the world on fire if ty asked him to. 

“are you planning on hurting him?” julian asked coldly, raising a brow. he twisted the ring between his fingers, his gaze not leaving kit’s. 

kit swallowed. he knew this was coming. “i would never.” 

“you did before.” julian replied, like it was the most simple thing in the world. “you left. if you leave now, he’ll be destroyed.” 

_destroyed._ the thought of ty like that sent shivers down kit’s spine. he’d rip apart anyone who so much as looked at ty the wrong way. 

taking a deep breath, he shook away all thoughts of ty being hurt as he turned his attention back to julian.

“i was scared. scared of how i felt, how ty reacted. i thought he hated me. don’t you know what it’s like? to be afraid of how deeply you love someone?” 

julian looked at emma, who was battling the air, cortana a golden flash in her hands. ty and dru were with her, cheering her on.

“yeah.” julian said finally, not quite taking his eyes off emma. “i do.” 

“i’ve never loved anyone the way i love ty.” kit continued. “i’ve never expected to give someone my whole heart and not have them reject it. but it’s different with ty. he _is_ my heart. he’s my home. he’s the reason i wake up in the mornings and the last thing i think about before i go to sleep. and even in my dreams, we’re together, dancing for hours in each other’s arms, with both of us-” kit smiled, reaching out for the ring. julian dropped it in his palm. kit ran his finger across the surface thoughtfully, the words familiar and welcoming under his fingertips.

_i love you._

“both of us draped in gold.” 

gold, the shadowhunter color for weddings. dream ty looked beautiful in gold. it brought out golden flecks in his grey eyes. 

for a moment, kit thought julian was going to kill him right then and there. he took a stumbling step forward and laid a hand gently on kit’s shoulder. then, he said something kit never would have expected julian to say to him. 

“is it okay if i hug you?” 

kit blinked. “what?” 

“some people don’t like being touched.” julian explained. “i just wanted to know if it was-”

julian was cut off by kit wrapping his arms around jules’s middle. kit didn't know what he was doing. he was acting on pure instinct. julian hugged him back, comforting and secure. kit got why everyone loved hugging julian. his tough exterior fell off, and it was like he was extending a piece of himself to you, offering you his love and protection. 

kit sighed and melted into the hug for a minute before something wet splashed onto kit’s neck.

“are you crying?” kit asked, astonished. because apparently, today was a day of surprises. 

“yeah.” julian answered, his voice unwavering despite the tears still dripping onto kit. “my brother’s getting married. i’ve never been happier.” 

kit patted julian's back, trying his best to be supportive. he wasn’t great with crying people.

eventually, julian pulled away. he smiled, looking so much like ty in that moment that it hurt his heart. “welcome to the family, kit.” 

they were some of the best words kit had ever heard.

* * *

“what were you talking to jules about?” ty asked later that night, as they sprawled out on the roof of the institute after dinner. 

the rest of the day was uneventful, mostly kit mourning his jacket while dru mourned the sanity she lost listening to kit mourning his jacket. while ty went out to get something, dru ran upstairs and found kit another ring box, almost identical to the one the dragon had destroyed. 

_“you’re a lifesaver, dru blackthorn.” kit said, taking the box from her hands. quickly, he opened it, dropped the ring inside it, taking a second to admire it before closing the lid._

_dru threw her arms around him tightly and whispered, “take care of him.”_

_kit hugged her back, squeezing his eyes shut against the tears that loomed behind them. “i will. i promise.”_

kit was holding the box in his pocket now, as he and ty lay on a blanket facing each other. occasionally, ty would point out constellations, and kit would listen to him, trying to absorb the information, but mostly taking in the way the excitement lit up his face. 

“when?” kit asked, feigning nonchalance. ty raised a brow. 

“on the beach. after the dragon stole what was in your pocket.” 

“my watch?” kit corrected, although he knew in his heart that ty could see right through it. 

“sure.” ty said, smiling. “your watch.” 

kit sighed. “how’d you figure it out?” 

ty chuckled and shook his head. “oh watson.” the grey of his eyes reflected the night sky. “i guessed this morning. i found the empty _sherlock_ case under the bed.” 

“but that could be anything.” kit protested. “maybe i just like _sherlock.”_

they both knew that the only sherlock kit liked was ty, but kit went with the lie anyway. 

“you kept touching the lump in your pocket and looking at me.” ty added. “and after the dragonidae ripped your jacket, you and dru were being paranoid, looking out on the street for even the tiniest bit of silver.” 

kit was always impressed by ty’s deduction skills. although it was rather unfortunate that he was using them to ruin kit’s proposal. 

“i needed quarters.” kit said, but there was no effort behind it. he knew when he was caught. 

“you hate coins.” ty pointed out. “you always give them to tavvy to put in his piggy bank.” 

“it’s annoying that you know me so well.” kit rolled his eyes, smiling. “okay, sherlock. what’s the final nail in the coffin? what gave me away?” 

ty ran a knuckle down kit’s jaw. “you talked to jules.” 

kit laughed. of _course_ that would be the dead giveaway. no one talked to their partner’s parental figure without a reason. 

“yeah.” kit chuckled, pressing his face into ty’s chest. “you caught me.” 

“i was confused about one thing though.” ty said. from where he lay against him, kit could feel the vibrations of ty’s voice. 

“what’s that?” kit relaxed against ty, closing his eyes to listen to ty’s beautiful voice wash over him.

“i couldn’t figure out what you got.” ty answered. “it had to be small enough to fit in your box, and the dragonidae stole it, so it was shiny. it also had to be important, because you told julian about it. was it actually a watch? i already have one.” 

kit looked up at him, startled. “what?” 

“i already have a watch.” ty pulled up his sleeve to show kit his watch. julian had gotten it for him from his travel year, when he went to london with emma. he bought it at the sherlock holmes gift shop.

kit stared at the watch. then, he looked at ty quickly before glancing back down at the watch. it was nice, engraved with baker street behind the numbers, 221b standing proudly in the middle. 

“i wasn’t giving you a watch.” kit said, brow furrowed. "that one's your favorite. i bought jem a watch because mina broke his, and dru used it to cover for me."

“then what was it?” ty asked, confusion written all over his face. kit saw the moment a light went off in his brain. ty’s face turned to mush, his mouth melting into a hopeful smile. “was it a ring?”

kit tried to answer, but his brain couldn’t for a solid word, let alone a coherent sentence. he got up, untangling himself from ty and heading over to the edge of the roof. he leaned against it, his palms digging into the brick. ty followed him and took one of his hands, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. kit wrapped his arms around ty, burying his face in ty's chest, taking in his scent of books and brown sugar.

“it’s okay.” ty whispered, cupping kit’s face gently, wiping tears away with the callused pad of his thumb. kit hadn’t even realized he was crying. “you don’t have to ask me right now. you don’t ever have to ask me if it makes you uncomfortable. i love you. i understand you. i always have.” 

kit was incredibly thankful for whatever led ty into his life. ty was the bright spot in his darkness, his hope when he had none. and he wanted to marry ty. he _needed_ to marry ty, needed it more than anything in the world.

with a sudden rush of realization, it dawned on kit that he needed ty in his life like his lungs needed air. he couldn’t go long without him, or else the vicious throbbing in his chest would turn into a ferocious roar of pain, and consequently, land him in the dark and quiet arms of death. 

with a soft smile, ty reached his hand up to move a stray hair away from kit’s face, a movement he made about a million times before.

the familiar gesture hit kit like a punch to the gut. he looked at ty, feeling an overwhelming rush of love that threatened to drown him in the gorgeous, grey depths of ty’s eyes. 

“i’m in love with you.” kit whispered softly, staring at his boyfriend. ty blinked. 

“kit?” he asked, concern etching itself into the lines of his face. kit would normally want to go out and hurt whatever it was that made ty’s face scrunch up like that, but he wasn’t really in a ‘punch yourself in the face’ kind of mood. 

a strange sense of rightness settled in kit’s stomach. it was time. he felt for the soft velvet box in his pocket, took it out, and fell to one knee, pulling the lid off the box with what he hoped was an exuberant amount of shadowhunter grace. ty’s sharp inhale was all the encouragement kit needed.

“i’m in love with you.” he repeated, words spilling out of his mouth and his heart faster than his brain could control them. “i love you more than the tides love the moon, more than the fish love the sea. i love you more than life itself.” 

silver glinted in ty’s eyes, almost matching the achingly beautiful color already laying there. 

“because of you,” he continued, the cement of the roof pressing into his knee, “i am the happiest person alive. you healed my lost and broken soul, filled up the cracks with words and kisses and stories, and led me from the dark path i was traveling down. i found you, my soulmate. you took my weary heart and strengthened it, turned it from a barren desert to the garden of eden. you _saved_ me, ty. if it wasn’t for you, i'd probably be dead in the back of a shadow market by now.” 

ty was smiling, looking at kit like he hung the stars. kit memorized every inch of ty's face, his graceful mouth, upturned in a wide, joyous smile. kit would do anything if he could keep that smile on ty's face.

“i love you.” kit said softly, voice breaking. “i will love you as long as i live, and if there’s a life after this, ty blackthorn, i swear on all the angels that i’ll love you then.” 

silence passed between them for a moment. ty crossed his arms over his chest. he smirked, amused. almost like he was holding back a laugh. 

“so,” kit raised a brow, still kneeling. pins and needles were starting to poke at his leg. he really hoped ty said yes, cause he was running out of countries to flee to. “are you going to respond? or should i just ask someone else to marry me?”

“you didn’t ask me to marry you yet.” ty pointed out, looking pleased. "although i really loved your speech. very herondale of you."

kit was _definitely_ in a ‘punch yourself in the face’ kind of mood now.

“besides,” ty went on, rolling his eyes, “who else would you ask? irene?” 

“of course not.” kit replied. “irene hates me.” 

“she doesn’t hate you.” ty protested. “she’s just shy.” 

“it’s been three years, tiberius. i’m pretty sure she hates me.” 

“well, we’re going to have to fix that before she’s the ring bearer at our wedding, aren’t we?”

“no.” kit shook his head. “veto. that cat will not be our ring bearer.” 

“she’s a carpathian lynx.” ty corrected. “and she’s not going to be our anything if you don’t ask me to marry you.” 

he had a point. kit cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

“tiberius blackthorn,” kit asked seriously, starlight glinting off the ring, “will you marry me?”

ty pulled kit to his feet and wrapped his arms around him. with a jolt, kit realized that ty was shaking. 

panic flooded kit’s brain. “are you oka-“

his love’s lips crushing his own was answer enough. 

* * *

they went to the beach to celebrate, kit’s voyance rune being smothered by ty’s tight grip as they lay in the sand, hand in hand, listening to the waves crash against the shore.

kit had never felt so light. 

there were things to do, people to tell, a wedding to plan. but right now, they were just kit and ty, two people deeply, profoundly, in love.

ty’s hand felt solid, like he was the only thing keeping kit from skipping into the horizon for pure joy. 

“what are you doing?” kit asked finally. this far out, you could count the stars while practically making direct eye contact with the aliens on mars. 

“naming the stars after people i love.” ty replied simply. he gestured to the sky with his right hand, since kit was twisting the ring on his left. his voyance rune was stark against the paleness of his skin. “that’s livia, that one’s julian. the star attached to julian," he pointed to three stars over the water, two of them attached at the hip, and the third some distance away from the others. "is emma. and that little cluster,” he pointed to a group of stars over kit’s head, “are drusilla, octavian, mark, and helen.” 

“ty, that’s-” kit didn’t have words to describe how much ty naming stars moved him. “beautiful.” he settled, though the word felt insufficient. “do i have one?”

ty met his eyes, taking kit’s breath away. his gunmetal eyes brightened with the smile that slowly spread across his face. ty’s smile, so open and honest and sincere, was the most beautiful thing in the world.

“you get the sun.” he whispered. 

kit blinked. 

_you get the sun._

he didn’t think it was possible to fall in love with the same person twice. kit rolled over so he was facing ty, only to find grey eyes mere inches away from his own clear blue ones.

smiling broadly, kit pressed one of his hands against ty's heart. “you’re my happy ending, ty blackthorn.” he said. three years ago, the raw honesty in his voice would have made past kit hit him over the head with a brick. he was so, _so_ thankful that the blackthorns waltzed into his life, blades first.

ty was looking at him, like he had a window directly into kit’s soul. as kit met his strong gaze, he realized he was wrong. ty's eyes weren’t the color of gunmetal. they were dark storm clouds, clearing up to reveal stars. he sat up, pulling kit up with him, until they were kneeling across from each other, knee to knee and eye to eye. 

“and you’re mine.” ty’s voice was soft and genuine. with his right hand, he cupped kit’s face with heartbreaking gentleness, while his left laced kit's fingers through his own. 

kit felt the cold metal of ty’s ring against his hand, as emotions he couldn’t name threatened to drown him. 

he balled his free fist into ty’s shirt and pulled him closer to him, capturing ty’s mouth with his own. ty dropped kit's other hand and moved it to kit's jaw, both of his strong hands cupping kit's face, and kissed him back, biting down on kit's bottom lip. kit didn't mind at all as he brought his other arm around ty's back. ty was kissing him with an intense sort of passion that kit had only seen in movies, like when the main character kisses their soulmate as the sun sets in the distance.

kit was glad he knew what kissing his soulmate felt like. he was even happier to be marrying said soulmate, intertwining his life with kit’s own. 

kit broke away and rested his head against ty’s chest. 

“you’re my home.” he whispered, emotion making his voice thick. he looked up at ty and counted the stars in his eyes. “you’re my home.” kit repeated. ty’s answering smile was brighter than any witchlight before he leaned down and kissed kit again. 

kit thought he tasted like syrup and mysteries and starlight. 

_i’m home._

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> sorry that this was basically a brain dump, but if you made it this far, congrats! you get a virtual hug!
> 
> hope you enjoyed!


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